AURORA | Whether it’s skewered, ladled, plated or wrapped in wax paper, odds are you can get the international cuisine you’re looking for in Aurora.
The city where one in five residents was born outside of the U.S. is known for its vibrant restaurant scene — earlier this year, travel magazine AFAR reported that the Havana Street corridor alone was home to more than 250 global eateries, offering up tastes of Asia, Africa, Latin America and Europe.
With so many options, it can be hard to agree on a place to dine, but starting this week, the public can cast its votes for the best “globally-inspired” offerings among the dozen or so restaurants and chefs nominated for the city’s first-ever Global Flavors competition.
The top three vote-getters will be announced Aug. 17 during the Global Fest celebration at Aurora’s city hall.
“It’s all about promoting our international and cultural diversity, which is really reflected in the food that you can find in every corner of the city,” city spokesman Michael Brannen said. “You can find food from seemingly all across the globe, so it makes sense to pair a food competition with our signature event.”
File Photo by Philip B. Poston/Sentinel Colorado
Held for the past decade on the Great Lawn, Global Fest itself has showcased the city’s rich food culture with a diverse entourage of food trucks. In an email encouraging Aurorans to participate in Global Flavors, Mayor Mike Coffman wrote about how the city’s culinary community bolsters Aurora’s reputation as the most diverse city in the state.
“Aurora’s restaurants are one of the things I love most about our city, and not just because of the amazing food. They allow me to connect with my neighbors, support the small businesses that are an essential part of our economy and get a window into what makes Aurora unique,” Coffman said.
“Many of the participating restaurants, food trucks and caterers are owned by immigrants and refugees, so it’s also a great opportunity to celebrate the economic contributions of our incredibly diverse community. “
That includes chefs like Ngozi Onyeali, who left her home country of Nigeria for the U.S. as a teenager in 1974 and launched her catering business, LadyDee’s Authentic Nigerian Cuisine, about 20 years ago.
“We like to eat hot food,” she said, describing the blend of peppers and spices that flavor dishes such as her curried goat and Jollof rice.
“When I’m in my therapy room — that’s what I call my kitchen, my therapy room — all I have to think about is, this is what I’m cooking, and let’s say I’m making curried chicken, how will the curry taste? What else can I add to bring the spice out?”
Cooking is Onyeali’s job, but it’s also a passion passed down by her mother, who regularly invited poor children to join their dinner table. Onyeali said her mother’s generosity taught her how a meal could be more than a plate of food.
“It was a lesson that I was being given, but I didn’t know it or didn’t appreciate it until I grew up a little bit more,” she said. “Now, I enjoy cooking, and I like to give food to people, because that’s one thing I saw with my mom. Mom would cook, and you would wonder, ‘It’s just me and Mom in the house. Who’s going to eat all of this food?’ Which is what my son asks me now.”
A person’s first time trying a dish may also be their first time encountering the culture that produced it, and Onyeali said she is proud of the number of returning customers she has who had never tried Nigerian food before.
LadyDee’s Authentic Nigerian Cuisine is among this year’s Global Flavors nominees. For information about all of the businesses nominated and to vote online through Aug. 12 at AuroraGov.org/GlobalFlavors.
I will recommend her to any event because her food will you smile and happy
I will recommend her to any event, because she is very passionate and love to give out